Helium Element Cube

Helium's atomic number is 2 and its symbol is He. Helium is the first noble gas and is colorless, tasteless, odorless, and non-toxic. Helium has the lowest boiling point of all of the elements. Helium is named after the Greek god of the sun, Helios. This is because the element was first noticed as researchers observed a solar eclipse and noticed the color signature of helium. Despite helium being used to fill party balloons, it is a non-renewable resource that is used in rockets, arc welding, and blimps. Unlike the production process for other noble gases, helium is obtained from natural gas fields trapped in pockets within the earth's crust. The scarcity of helium on earth is simply due to the fact that it is so light that it floats out of the lower atmosphere.

The helium samples in our element cube are under vacuum and therefore glow in the presence of an electric field. Helium produces a faint white to orange glow when electrified.